BENTONVILLE, AR – APRIL 15, 2005 – Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has announced a new educational program geared to teach young people about the consequences of shoplifting. Recent statistics say that more than half of adult shoplifters started as juveniles. The “LP Youth Outreach Program” was created to help dissuade young people from shoplifting.
“As we strive to be a responsible retailer, we feel compelled to educate children about shoplifting. With the outreach program, we hope that prevention begins with education, “said J. P. Suarez, Senior Vice President of Loss Prevention for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “We also want children to understand that shoplifting has potential consequences that can last a lifetime.”
LP Youth Outreach Program partners local law enforcement with a member of Wal-Mart’s Loss Prevention team to inform children about shoplifting. Age-appropriate presentations have been developed for elementary, middle school and high school children. The presentations examine the reasons why people shoplift, the procedures in place to protect property and the cost of shoplifting not only to the shoplifter, but the entire community.
More information on the LP Youth Outreach Program is located on Wal-Mart’s website at www.walmartfoundation.org under the education section. Contact information for any school interested in hosting an outreach program is available.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAMS CLUB locations in the United States. Internationally, the company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The companys securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting www.walmartfacts.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.
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